The crimes that they are analyzing for bringing criminal charges are related to drug trafficking, immigration, and violence.
14ymedio, Madrid, March 7, 2026 – The Government of Donald Trump is studying ways to bring criminal charges against leaders of the Government and the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC), according to several U.S. media outlets reporting on Friday. For this purpose, a task force has been created within the Department of Justice which, according to The Washington Post, could be “a significant step” in the current U.S. administration’s initiative “to overthrow the regime.”
The group will include, the Post reports, citing a government official familiar with the matter, employees from different government agencies, including the Department of the Treasury, which for the Washington newspaper could mean that Trump is considering imposing more sanctions against Cuba. The Wall Street Journal adds that agents from the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) will also be included.
According to NBC sources, the crimes around which they are considering opening criminal proceedings are related to drug trafficking, immigration, and violence. Charges of narco-terrorism were precisely the ones used by the United States to capture and depose Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on January 3, in a military operation in Caracas that resulted in the Venezuelan leader being prosecuted in New York and the installation of Delcy Rodríguez at the head of an interim government under Trump’s supervision.
At the same time, a federal prosecutor in Florida is also working to present criminal charges against high-ranking officials of the Cuban regime
At the same time, a federal prosecutor in Florida is also working to present criminal charges against high-ranking officials of the Cuban regime, according to The Wall Street Journal. This is also echoed by The Washington Post, which cites the views of several former prosecutors from the Miami U.S. Attorney’s Office. They are not surprised that the office is leading an initiative specifically focused on legal proceedings related to Cuba. “The Miami office has a long track record of handling high-profile cases related to wrongdoing linked to the Cuban regime,” the newspaper says.
These reports were published the same day that Donald Trump again insisted to the media that Cuba “will fall very soon” and that Havana is “very eager” to negotiate with Washington.
A day earlier, the Republican warned that Havana is “desperate” to reach an agreement with his administration immediately and assured that it is “only a matter of time” before attention turns toward the Caribbean country, suggesting that the military campaign against Iran has somewhat diverted the White House’s focus.
The fall of Cuba would be “the icing on the cake” after the January operation in Caracas.
He also said this Thursday, in an interview with Politico, that the fall of Cuba would be “the icing on the cake” after the January operation in Caracas. Trump cited as an example the “wonderful” collaboration with the interim government of Chavista leader Delcy Rodríguez, with which Washington announced on Thursday that it will restore relations after decades of distance.
In recent weeks, U.S. media have reported on contacts between U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a grandson of former Cuban president Raúl Castro, Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, known as El Cangrejo, and Trump himself confirmed that Rubio was handling the negotiations “at the highest level.”
The Cuban exile community in Miami hopes that, after Maduro, Washington will accuse Raúl Castro of the 1996 killing of four pilots from the group Brothers to the Rescue who were assisting rafters fleeing the island.
Translated by Regina Anavy
______________________
COLLABORATE WITH OUR WORK: The 14ymedio team is committed to practicing serious journalism that reflects Cuba’s reality in all its depth. Thank you for joining us on this long journey. We invite you to continue supporting us by becoming a member of 14ymedio now. Together we can continue transforming journalism in Cuba.